Planet of the Apes (2001)
Primary Cast: * Mark Wahlberg as Captain Leo Davidson * Tim Roth as General Thade * Helena Bonham Carter as Ari * Michael Clarke Duncan as Colonel Attar * Kris Kristofferson as Karubi * Estella Warren as Daena * Paul Giamatti as Limbo * Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Krull * David Warner as Senator Sandar * Erick Avari as Tival * Luke Eberl as Birn * Lisa Marie as Nova * Evan Dexter Parke as Gunnar * Glenn Shadix as Senator Nado * Freda Foh Shen as Bon * Chris Ellis as Commander Karl Vasich * Anne Ramsay as Lt. Col. Grace Alexander * Andrea Grano as Major Maria Cooper * Michael Jace as Major Frank Santos * Michael Wiseman as Specialist Hansen * Eileen Weisinger as Leeta * Deep Roy as Gorilla Kid/Thade's Niece Synopsis Onboard the Oberon space station, an astronaut named Leo Davidson worked closely with chimpanzees who were trained to serve as 'guinea-pigs' for particularly dangerous exploration missions in space. His favourite chimpanzee was Pericles. Pericles learned from training simulators and was rewarded with treats when he achieved his objectives. Leo was summoned to the command deck of the space station where a new situation had emerged; a giant electromagnetic storm. The storm sent all of the radio and television broadcasts of Earth out toward the Oberon. The Oberon's commander decided to send out a chimp - Pericles - to see if conditions were safe to send out human pilots to explore the storm. When the chimp was lost, the commander wrote-off the chimp and prepared to forget the storm. Astronaut Leo however had other ideas and snuck aboard another escape pod and traveled in pursuit of his chimp trainee into space. Leo lost contact with his space station and was pushed forward in time to a strange new world. Crashing in a jungle, his crew-mates onboard the Oberon searched for him in vain. Shortly after crashing Leo looked around to see rustling among the brush. Humans emerged, fleeing in terror. After a short contemplation Leo took off with them and ran. Out of the distance, apes emerged. With gorillas on horseback and chimpanzees running on all fours, the apes chased after humanity - the inferior race they had mastered and now hunt. After the lot was rounded up they were tossed into cages and hauled back to the Ape City, where they were sold off as slaves. In the city, Leo met Limbo, an orangutan who traded humans for money. He earned profit on volume selling, as his human specimens smelled like humans and weren't considered luxury items to apes. To apes, humans weren't good for much other than to be used as pets or simple house servants. In Limbo's building, a human rights advocate named Ari was off to her usual trouble-making mischief. Ari believed humans could be taught things and deserved to be treated more as equals to apes. To Limbo, a businessman whose trade was humans, such thinking was ludicrous. When Ari got close to Leo's cage, Leo pulled her close and threatened her life with a hot branding iron. Limbo worried that he may have to put down Leo. Leo then whispered to Ari that he needed help. Ari rewarded the human that held her captive by agreeing to buy him and a female he was attracted to. Leo and the female - Daena became house servants in the house of Ari's father. During an event to entertain dinner guests General Thade, the leader of Ape military forces, opened up Leo's mouth and inquired mockingly if there was a soul in there. Ari left the dinner table and General Thade chased after her, then left, angry that she had no affection for him at all. Leo then picked the lock on his cage and escaped with a group of other humans. Ari spotted them escaping and accompanied them with her protector Krull. Ari found Leo different and was eager to help him because she found him fascinating. General Thade convinced Ari's father that Ari was kidnapped by the humans. General Thade used this situation to gain absolute power as dictator of Ape City. Thade than marched ape armies to the Forbidden Zone where Leo, Ari, and many humans had gathered. In the Forbidden Zone, Leo discovered the Oberon, his crashed space station. According to the computer's logs and the aging of the ship, it had been there for thousands of years. Leo deduced that he was pushed forward in time, while the Oberon searching after him was not. Consequently it crashed on the planet thousands of years before Leo did. The Oberon's log revealed that the apes onboard organised a mutiny and took control of the vessel after it crashed. The survivors of the struggle left the ship and their descendants were the apes and humans on the planet that Leo witnessed. When ape forces charged humans encamped near the ancient station, Leo ignited the fuel inside the ship which knocked back the first wave of ape warriors. General Thade was not impressed and ordered everyone else to the front, and rode forward himself. As the apes appeared beyond doubt to have won, a vessel descended from the sky. It was Pericles, the original chimp astronaut that Leo went out into space searching for. Apparently Pericles got pushed forward in time just like Leo and only now found his way to the planet that Leo had crashed on. When Pericles landed, the apes interpreted his arrival as the return of Semos, the first chimpanzee, who was their god. They bowed, and hostilities between humans and apes ceased. General Thade chased Pericles into the Oberon and Leo followed. Thade got trapped in the control room, unable to escape. Leo then went to Pericles' space pod, which was undamaged, and used it to travel back through time. Leo crashed on what appeared to be Earth, in Washington DC. He looked up to see the Lincoln Memorial was now a monument in honour of General Thade. A swarm of ape police officers and reporters descended on Leo, who wondered just what had happened to his world.Review and Plot Summary at Movieprop.com Cast And Crew Supporting Cast: * Chad Bannon ... Red Ape Soldier/Man Hunt Ape * Kevin Grevioux ... Limbo's 1st Handler/Ape Commander/ 2nd Ape Soldier * Isaac C. Singleton, Jr. ... Limbo's 2nd Handler/ 1st Ape Soldier * Quincy Taylor ... Ape Soldier * John Alexander ... Ape Dinner Guest/Old Man Servant/Old Ape #1 * Jay Caputo ... 1st Ape Teenager/2nd Ape Soldier * Philip Tan ... 2nd Ape Teenager/Gossiping Male Ape * Tiffany Smith ... Thade’s sister * Callie Croughwell ... Little Human Girl * Allie Habberstad ... Girl Pet * Brett Smrz ... Human Kid #1 * Howard Berger ... Gorilla * Rick Baker ... Old Ape #2 * Cameron Croughwell ... Ape Soccer Kid * Joshua Croughwell ... Ape Soccer Kid * Hanna Peitzman ... Ape Soccer Kid * Molly Peitzman ... Ape Soccer Kid * Jesse Tipton ... Ape Soccer Kid * Shane Habberstad ... Ape Soccer Kid * Chet Zar ... Fruit Vendor * Linda Harrison ... Woman in Cart * Eddie Adams ... Friend at Leo's Party * Todd Babcock ... Friend at Leo's Party * Lorenzo Callender ... Friend at Leo's Party * Shonda Farr ... Friend at Leo's Party * Kam Heskin ... Friend at Leo's Party * Jim Holmes ... Friend at Leo's Party * Todd Kimsey ... Friend at Leo's Party * Candace Kroslak ... Friend at Leo's Party * Joanna Krupa ... Friend at Leo's Party * Elizabeth Lackey ... Friend at Leo's Party * Mark Christopher Lawrence ... Friend at Leo's Party * Melody Perkins ... Friend at Leo's Party * Tate Taylor ... Friend at Leo's Party * Jonna Thompson ... Friend at Leo's Party * Charlton Heston .... Senator Zaius, Thade's father * Tony Brubaker ... Stunts (had also worked on 'Conquest of the Planet of the Apes') Locations: Filming Locations: * Arizona * Hawaii * Los Angeles, California * Lake Powell, Utah * Sydney, New South Wales, Australia * Trona Pinnicles, California Items: Production Crew * Producer ... Richard D. Zanuck * Executive Producer ... Ralph Winter * Associate Producer ... Ross Fanger, Katterli Frauenfelder * Unit Production Manager ... Ross Fanger * Script ... William Broyles Jr, Lawrence Konner, Mark Rosenthal * Director ... Tim Burton * Assistant Director ... Katterli Frauenfelder * Director of Photography ... Philippe Rousselot * Editor ... Chris Lebenzon, Joel Negron * Music ... Danny Elfman * Sound ... John A. Larsen * Make Up ... John Blake, Mike Smithson, Donald J. Mowat * Hair ... Patty Miller, Terry Baliel, Randy Sayer, Mitch Stone * Special Effects Makeup ... Rick Baker, Toni G., Alex Proctor, Kazuhiro Tsuji, Barney Burman (ape makeup artist) * Art Directors ... John Dexter, Sean Haworth, Philip Toolin * Set Decorators ... Rosemary Brandenburg * Charles Croughwell ... Stunt Coordinator Reaction Box Office *To help market Planet of the Apes, Fox commissioned an internet marketing campaign that also involved 'geocaching'. *Hasbro released a toy line, while Dark Horse Comics published a comic book adaptation and spin-off comic series. *Fox Interactive worked on a video game adaptation, but it was never finished and released. *The original release date for the film was July 4, 2001. *''Planet of the Apes'' was released on July 27, 2001 in 3,500 theatres across North America, earning $68,532,960 in its opening weekend. This was the second-highest opening weekend of 2001, behind Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. *The film went on to gross $180,011,740 in North America and $182,200,000 in foreign countries, accumulating a worldwide total of $362,211,740. *''Planet of the Apes'' was considered a financial success since the film out-grossed its $100 million budget. *''Planet of the Apes'' was the tenth-highest grossing film in North America, and ninth-highest worldwide for 2001 totals.The film is the third-highest grossing science fiction remake, behind War of the Worlds and I Am Legend. Critical analysis Based on 153 reviews collected by 'Rotten Tomatoes', 45% of the critics enjoyed Planet of the Apes. The film was more balanced in Rotten Tomatoes' "Top Critics" poll, holding a 32% approval rating, based on 31 reviews. By comparison, 'Metacritic' collected an average score 50, receiving 34 reviews. Roger Ebert praised the ending, but felt the film did not have a balanced story structure. "The movie is great-looking. Rick Baker's makeup is convincing even in the extreme closeups, and his apes sparkle with personality and presence. The sets and locations give us a proper sense of alien awe," Ebert continued. "Tim Burton made a film that's respectful to the original, and respectable in itself, but that's not enough. Ten years from now, it will be the 1968 version that people are still renting." Peter Travers of 'Rolling Stone' also gave a mixed review. "Call it a letdown, worsened by the forces of shoddy screenwriting. To quote Heston in both films, 'Damn them, damn them all'." Kenneth Turan of the 'Los Angeles Times' believed "the actors in the nonhuman roles are mostly too buried by makeup to make strong impressions. Unfortunately, none of the good work counts as much as you'd think it would," Turan said. "'Planet of the Apes' shows that taking material too seriously can be as much of a handicap as not taking it seriously at all." James Berardinelli gave positive feedback towards the acting performances. However, Berardinelli felt "this version could have bettered its predecessor. As it is, however, Burton's film is one more disappointment in a summer of lackluster blockbusters." Elvis Mitchell gave a positive reviews, feeling the script was balanced and the film served its right as "pure entertainment". Susan Wloszczyna of 'USA Today' enjoyed Planet of the Apes, feeling most of the credit should go to prosthetic makeup designer Rick Baker. Much criticism drew against the confusing ending. Tim Roth, who portrayed General Thade, said "I cannot explain that ending. I have seen it twice and I don't understand anything." Helena Bonham Carter, who played Ari, said "I thought it made sense, kind of. I don't understand why everyone went, 'Huh?' It's all a time warp thing. He's gone back and he realizes Thade's beat him there." Tim Burton claimed the ending was not supposed to make any sense, but it was more of a cliffhanger to be explained in a possible sequel. "It was a reasonable cliffhanger that could be used in case Fox or another filmmaker wanted to do another movie," he explained. Roth (Supporting Actor), Bonham Carter (Supporting Actress), Colleen Atwood (Costume) and Rick Baker (Make-up) received nominations at the Saturn Awards. Atwood and Baker were nominated at the 55th British Academy Film Awards, while music composer Danny Elfman was nominated for his work at the 43rd Grammy Awards. Planet of the Apes won Worst Remake at the 22nd Golden Raspberry Awards, while Heston (Worst Supporting Actor) and Estella Warren (Worst Supporting Actress) also won awards. Even though the film was a financial success, it failed to impress the fans of the original movies. It seemed like Tim Burton hadn't even seen the original. The 2001 're-imagining' had none of the social commentaries of the 1968 version and discarded many themes that were prominent in the original, like "ape shall not kill ape" and the reversal of human and ape roles. Overall, the fans were extremely disappointed and this is probably why a sequel was ultimately never made. Notes * Planet of the Apes (2001) Concept Art & Costume Tests * Behind-The-Scenes Photos by Derek Frey (assistant to Tim Burton) Inconsistencies Behind the Scenes It took Arthur P. Jacobs five years to steer the original film from page to screen, but that was nothing compared with the gestation period for the new Planet of the Apes. Twentieth Century Fox commissioned the new script in 1988. James Cameron, Oliver Stone and Arnold Schwarzenegger were briefly linked to the project before Tim Burton was chosen as director and Mark Wahlberg as the astronaut who organises human resistance against simian tyranny. The new version didn't have the political edge of the original, simply because the world had moved on since then. What it did have was a distinguished cast and incredible make-up. "The basic upside-down world - that's very much the same", said producer Richard D. Zanuck. "The story is entirely different, the characters are entirely different. In terms of the logistics, this is much bigger".[http://pota.goatley.com/misc/night/ The Legend of the Planet of the Apes by Brian Pendreigh (reprinted in 'Night & Day' (2001))]'' Zanuck added: "I feel like I've been in my own time warp, my own science fiction world. Having 34 years ago initiated this, I find myself producing a picture that is not a remake but a whole new picture using the same concept." Fox initially planned for possible sequels. Trivia Quotes Colonel Attar: Take your stinking hands off me, you damn dirty human!! General Thade: The humans infest the provinces. They breed too quickly while we grow soft in our affluence. Even now, they outnumber us four to one. Senator Nado: The cost would be prohibitive...although our scientists do tell me these humans carry terrible diseases. General Thade: Extremism in defense of apes is no vice, Senator. Your ideas threaten our prosperity. The human problem cannot be solved by simply throwing money at it. General Thade: Everything in the human culture takes place below the waist. Senator Nado: Next you'll be telling us these beasts have a soul. Colonel Attar: The Senator's daughter flirts with blasphemy. General Thade: Is there a soul in there? Krull: Apes! Monkeys are further down the evolutionary ladder...just above humans. Colonel Attar: These humans are different. They travel with apes. Related Articles External Links References ---- 06 Category:Planet of the Apes (TB)